Signs
by topsy-turvydom
Summary: Signs manifest themselves where you least expected. (A SasuSaku One-shot)


_Signs manifest themselves where you least expected._

* * *

Have you ever wondered how you would meet 'the one'?

You know; your destiny, your soul mate, or whatever you want to call him or her.

Well, I have. I don't believe that though, because I believe you are the one who defines your own future. You choose the person you want to be with for the rest of your life. But I can't help to give it a thought. Just out of curiosity, I guess.

I'm Sakura Haruno and I've imagined the clichés of bumping into a stranger who would turn out to be my friend's friend. So, we would then start hanging out together.

Or getting stuck in a 'life or death' situation, like drowning (weird right?), running after a snatcher who's carrying my purse, or rushing to the convenience store to buy catsup for my fries. And in one of those settings is where my knight in shining armor would sho-

BEEP! BEEP!

I shrieked on instinct. I swear I felt my soul left then returned to my body.

Most people on the sidewalk turned their heads on me to see what the commotion was about. I picked my bag up, which I accidentally dropped after jolting in shock.

Yes, I was walking while daydreaming. But I'm also paying attention to where I'm going. It's called multitasking. I was walking on the side of the road – not on the sidewalk, just the space next to it – since most of the people are walking opposite the direction I'm heading to. But I'm sure I was still out of the vehicles' way. What is wrong with this black car's driver?

BEEP! BEEP!

I refused to move out of my place. I can't see the driver since the windows are tinted. But by the way the car is angled; I'm guessing the driver wants to park.

BEEP! BEEP!

So, that's how you want to play. I know this street like the back of my hand. Let's see who will be humiliated more.

"Hey! Don't you read?" I shouted so the driver can hear. Then pointed at the raised aluminum sheet, painted with an encircled and crossed out capital letter 'P', not so far from where I'm standing.

Who's the loser now?

I walked out of the scene immediately after I did that. It's more dramatic that way. Before I rounded off the corner there was that familiar honking sound again. Not willing to lose my dignity, I ignored it.

* * *

It's a good thing I was not late this morning at school. I was right on time before my name was mentioned in the roll call. Seriously, who does that in college? Right, Mr. Orochimaru himself. He's our professor in Biology.

Oh, I'm a medical student by the way and I'm in my last year. I dream, no, I aim to be an apprentice of Dr. Tsunade.

My classes are over, so Ino and I decided to stop by a coffee shop. We were seated on one of the round tables when I started to rummage my bag.

"My! Is it the hunting season?" Ino said as she eyed my belongings on the table. "'Cause you're starting way too early, forehead."

"Ugh, don't start with me now, Ino-pig." Yeah, it's normal for us to call each other insults. "I think I lost my purse."

"Oh, what places have you gone to throughout the day? We can go check them out."

"Well, there's my apartment, then at school. That's all."

"What about the bus?"

"I didn't take the bus this morning. I kinda left my apartment early, so… I… walked…"

Of course! Now, I remember. I dropped my bag on the way to school. My purse must have fallen out then. Ugh, great. It's three PM and there's a -200% chance that it's still there.

I explained everything to Ino; from my daydreaming to my little scene. And because she's the good friend that she is; she offered to pay for my coffee after a good lengthy (scandalous) laugh.

I'm thankful of course, and I would've forgotten about my purse if my allowance for a whole week and my postal ID weren't there. I hope some honest person found it, and decided to find me then give it back to me.

Is this my karma for having humiliated someone? I only stood up for myself back there.

Ino lended me some money; enough to make me survive for about three more days. It's great to have a friend who'll help you in situations like this.

I just entered my apartment when the phone rang. I noticed I have a voice message. I'll check that later after this call.

"Hello, good evening."

"Who's this?" A deep baritone voice demanded, not bothering to greet back. Arrogant much?

"Um… That's my line."

"Hn." What a snob.

"So?" I'm not stepping down. He's the one who called after all.

"I found your purse." That caught my interest. I instantly felt grateful towards this person. I just hope he didn't snatch it from me, though.

"Really? Where did you find it?"

"At Naruto Street, near the sidewalk. This morning." That crossed out my suspicion.

"Oh my God! Thank you so much! You have no idea how important that is to me…" I started blabbing.

"At Ichiraku's, tomorrow at ten." He interrupted, seeming to not have any interest in my relationship with my purse.

"Excuse me, what?"

"I'll return your purse tomorrow." He sounded like his gritting his teeth.

"Oh, okay then. Again, thank you ver-" He'd hang-up.

A stranger had hang-up on Sakura Haruno. How dare he? If this happened in different circumstances, I would have called him back and gave him a piece of my mind. He's lucky that he's the one who found my purse. I'll let this pass.

I pushed the button to hear my voice mail while I went to the kitchen to fix myself some dinner.

"Hey. I have your purse. Thought you'd want it back. Let's meet at Ichiraku's at ten tomorrow morning. Bye."

It's the same voice that I just talked to. I'm suddenly reminded of my daydream. Wow. This could pass in the 'life or death' scenario. Well close enough. He would still return my purse, which in this case wasn't snatched. He's not the knight in shining armor material, though. But then again, he couldn't be that bad if he'll give a lost item back to its owner.

* * *

I've been waiting in the Ichiraku's since 9:30 and it's 5 minutes to 10:00. Excited? You can say that. Aside from getting my purse back, I also wonder what the guy would look like. Maybe I am a fairytale freak who believes in the possibility of clichés and signs to determine if he's 'the one', after all.

The door to the restaurant opened and in came a handsome guy that looks about, at most, five years older than I am. He really looks like a model by the way he is dressed and how he walks. Almost all the women in the restaurant have their eyes on him. I hope the guy I'm waiting for looks like him, at least.

Wait a minute. Damn. I forgot to ask how I should recognize him. Well, he probably already knows how I looked like; considering my ID's in the purse. Who would miss my pink hair?

The guy that just came in walked to my table and sat across from me. I was too stunned to speak.

He reached for his jacket pocket and took out my purse. He waved it in front of me with a smirk on his face.

"I believe this is yours, Miss Sakura Haruno?"

Oh God, You are so good to me.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," he added. I'm suddenly reminded that this is the rude guy I spoke with on the phone.

"Ehem. Yeah, that's me." I'm a little embarrassed for practically drooling at him. But his attitude is a turn off. Such a waste. Such a waste, indeed.

"Thank you for being thoughtful enough and being considerate to give this… back." I said as I eagerly grasped my purse out of his hold. "I have to go now. It was nice knowing you." Not really. I don't have any errands since it's Sunday. I just kind of lost my interest in even knowing his name.

I stood up to walk away, but he grabbed a hold of my wrist.

"Buy me some ramen." There's his demanding tone again.

"And why would I do that?"

He frowned, a dangerous aura surrounding him. Sheesh, he can really pull that look off. "I found your purse and gave it back to you. I want a ramen in exchange. And you might want to check your purse first before leaving."

It sounded more like a threat, so I sat back down. I ordered ramen for Mr. Arrogant but he demanded to make it two; said I should eat with him. While waiting for our ramens, I checked the contents of my purse.

My postal ID's missing.

"Where's my ID?"

"Hn." He reached for the chest pocket of his polo shirt and showed it to me before putting it back in.

"What are you doing? Give that back to me." I'm really pissed at him now.

"I will… Tomorrow at dinner."

I blinked. Is he asking me out on a date? But we just met.

"I don't even know you. Why would I want to have dinner with you?"

"Because I have your ID." He stated that as if it were a fact, which in this case, it is. "Oh, and the name's Sasuke Uchiha. Now, we know each other… Sakura."

* * *

Sasuke and I have been together for a year, well almost. The first few dates had been awkward and full of blackmailing at that. But eventually, I've learned that behind his cold demeanor; he has a wonderful heart. And I'm glad that he let me own it, just like he owns mine.

I've also been looking for signs if he's 'the one'. I've established five, in no particular order:

If he remembers our first anniversary… that is, if we last that long.

If he introduces me to his family

If he gives me three white roses

If he's willing to go to the cinema with me to watch a dramatic movie

And if he kisses me on the lips in public

So far, he's already done three of those. Which leaves the 'three white roses' and the 'anniversary thing'. And I'm quite looking forward to the latter, since tomorrow's our first anniversary.

I was having a dreamless sleep when my mobile rang. I reached for it on my bed side without lifting my head and placed it over my ear.

"Hello?" I answered groggily, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Happy anniversary, Sakura."

My drowsiness was gone in an instant. I glanced at the clock and it says 12:01 AM. Geez, I can just imagine ants gathering in my room.

"Happy anniversary, Sasuke-kun." I can't help but grin from ear to ear.

And that checks out the number one item on my 'signs' list.

We had dinner that night at the restaurant where we had our first meal together, the Ichiraku's. He had it closed for the night just for the two of us. The setting is complete with dimmed lighting, flowers everywhere and a small group of violinists. Yeah, Sasuke Uchiha did have a romantic side. That is, if his brother Itachi wasn't the one who came up with this idea.

He's standing just beside the lone table in the center of the room when I entered. I walked towards him then he handed me the bouquet of white roses he had been holding.

I slightly felt disappointed since I was specifically expecting just three roses, no more, no less. But I put that thought aside for a while; not wanting to ruin the moment.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." I teased, since he's still speechless for some reason.

"Hn." He smirked, quite getting the inside joke of what I had just said. "Oh, I will. You look beautiful, Sakura."

I thanked him. It was my turn to smile. I can feel my cheeks heat up.

We began to have our meal with short conversations every now and then.

"Sasuke-kun, I think all this is a bit too much. A simple dinner would do, really. This looks grand and too special."

"Less special doesn't suit you." There, he rendered me speechless this time. My cheeks are smoking from the heat.

We're about to have desert when he spoke once again. "I have another surprise for you."

He nodded at the waiter, who nodded back and went to the kitchen. I glanced at Sasuke-kun but his gaze is fixed on the kitchen door. There's nothing in his face that could give away what this surprise would be.

The waiter emerged with a covered plate in hand. He then placed it on the table before me. I looked over at Sasuke-kun once again.

"Go ahead. Open it." He calmly insisted.

So I did. And what I saw took my breath away. It's a cake. My favorite chocolate cake. And there it is; the last sign I've been looking for. Precisely three white roses made of whip cream on the side.

But I didn't pay attention to that after I internalized what I was seeing. Atop the chocolate brown icing of the cake were the words "Will you marry me?" in white.

And that's when I knew he definitely is 'the one' for me.

* * *

_Six months later…_

* * *

We have just finished watching a romantic movie. It's about like any other romance movies out there, of course. Boy meets girl then they fall in love. That's a part of life. And love stories never get old for me. Sasuke-kun looks like he thinks otherwise though. He looks kind of annoyed. But then he always looks like that.

"So what do we do now?" I asked. We were in the living room; sitting on the couch and watching the credits flash on the wide screen.

"Do you really want to know what I want to do with you?" He questioned back rather suggestively while raising one of his eyebrows.

I snorted. "Don't be stupid, Uchiha!"

His eyebrow stayed up with mocking curiosity this time. "Are you referring to me or to yourself?"

Oh. That's right. I forgot that I became an Uchiha just two weeks ago. It really takes a lot of getting used to.

"Well, I wouldn't tell I'm stupid now would I?"

"You just did."

"Ugh! You're unbelievable!"

He wrapped his arms around my torso and pulled me to him before murmuring, "And you love me for it."

I leaned my head on his chest. "Unfortunately, yes." He chuckled and I felt his chest involuntarily moved at the action.

We silently snuggled; enjoying the warmth of each other's embrace.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"I was just wondering… When did you realize that I was the woman you would want to marry?"

He was silent for a few seconds.

"When I saw the sign."

I know I shouldn't be surprised that he believes in those kinds of things. After all, I have become aware that he's got a romantic fiber in his system. Well, I myself didn't truly believe in those things until I met him. Still, it's hard to believe Sasuke Uchiha thinks about clichés and happy ever afters.

"Huh? What sign?"

He pulled away and looked at me directly in the eyes before smirking.

"No Parking."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hope this made you smile. :)**

**Thank you for reading!**


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